Easter and a roast of lamb

Easter and lamb is a must in Sweden. Originally the Easter lamb tradition comes from the jewish tradition, and has really nothing to do with us Scandinavians, but some where along the line, the lamb found its way to our Easter dinner, ands therefore we have producers of lamb, that fits our nordic climate and is born in the winter and slaughtered in the spring.

The other day I made a visit to Kåseberga Lamb Farm to buy fresh lamb direct from the farm. I’ve got the farm’s first lamb, slaughtered just for me. A humbling experience. The leg of lamb was so big, at first I didn´t think it would fit into my oven, but it did.
It weighs between 2-3 kg and you can´t get it any fresher than this.

This kind of lamb, doesn´t need much to taste fantastic. I chose the classics seasoning with rosemary, thyme, garlic and a little lemon zest. Then it´s only to slow cook it for hours while you do something else.

The core temperature of a perfect, pink lamb is 56 degrees C/132,8 F. Don´t let it cook longer than that. It becomes, overcooked, dry and boring. Use the thermometer, low temperature and let it take its time. Serve with a classic potato gratin or a fresh salad.

HOW TO…
1. Preheat the oven to 225 degrees C/482 F convection and trim lamb free from membranes.
2. Pick the leaves from the rosemary and thyme and grind with other spices, oil, lemon zest and honey.
3. Cut a few small holes in the roast and insert some sliced garlic cloves. Sprinkle lamb with a few pats of butter.
4. Drizzle some olive oil on a deep baking tray and place the lamb on the tray.
5. Bake the roast for about ten minutes until it gets a nice browning. Remove from oven, let the oven cool down, put the oven on 80 degrees C/176 F, normal heat, using a thermometer and roast until it has an internal temperature of 56 degrees C/132,8. It takes about 7 hours.
6. Remove the roast and let it rest.

Food Inspirer

Hello! My name is Pernilla Elmquist and I like to call myself a food inspirer. After my participation in the Swedish version of Master Chef in 2011, I'm working full-time as a food creator, food writer and chef. I explore the Scandinavian cuisine and draw inspiration from the woods, the lake and the area around my cabin. I want to give you a peek into the culinary landscape of Scandinavia, as I myself explore it.